Dear Reader, All advertisements on this site
are selected by Google, not Dr. Hines. That
includes JustAnswer and similar services
that claim they are "standing by" to answer
your pet's health questions. They pay Google
to gain ad space on his sites & change their urls
as fast as he blocks them. Pease check with the
BBB before you use any of them. Stick with
ads for the online stores you know & trust. .RSH

Bottle - Feeding
Orphaned Kittens

Ron Hines DVM PhD

Motherly
love is a very strong bond in domestic cats. So it is quite rare for
a well kept momma cat to abandon its offspring.

But feral homeless cats have very tough lives. They struggle on the borderline of
starvation, live in un-naturally dense groups and suffer from diseases
that pampered house cats never face.

Often, their
first litter arrives when they are little more than kittens themselves.
It is quite common for inexperience and the stresses of pregnancy to
exhaust them to the point where they become ill and abandon their kittens.

Another
reason readers get to this page is when they are faced with a cat’s
litter that contain one or more star-crossed runts that can not survive
unless you hand raise them yourself.

How Old
Do You Think This Kitten Is ?

Kittens
1-14 days old haven't opened their eyes yet. (never
attempt to open a kitten's eyes manually) Their ears are
also folded over and closed.

Kittens
2-3 weeks old have their eyes open and they are able to move around
shakily. By the time kittens are 3 weeks old, their ears have become
erect and they can walk about well.

What
Supplies Will I Need ?

You will
need to have a warm, snuggly nest box for the baby or babies. Since
the infants will soil their container, I usually look around for a small
cardboard box that I can readily replace when I need to ,to keep the
baby in – a shoe box works well.

You will
need a heating pad unless you live in the tropics. I usually pick up
the heavy-duty model from WalMart. Then I go to their aquarium section
and purchase an aquarium thermometer. In the same section you will find
pet nursing bottles and, if you are lucky, cans of PetAg's KMR. Many feel that this product has a short shelf life. Buy it from stores that have the most rapid turnover. The canned product is less economical over time, but it is ready to warm and serve. The canisters of powder are more economical, but preparation time is longer and, once diluted with water, it takes several hours for the lumps to completely dissolve, the grittiness to dissipate and for for the liquid to assume a smooth consistency.

(I
do not have any ties to Pet-Ag. Its just that their products are usually
easiest to find. The Fox
Valley line is just as good - some say better.)

Pick up
a small food scale so you can keep track of the kitten(s) growth and
a notebook to record it in. Buy a few boxes of white, unscented Klenex-type
tissues and a few roles of paper towels.

If the kitten
is weak you may need to tube feed it. If so, pick up a 3-milliliter
syringe and an 18 gauge butterfly infusion tube (needle snipped off) from a veterinary hospital
or human medical supply center for tube feeding and ask an experienced
kitten rehabber to show you how it is done, or, better yet, watch videos on how it is done on YouTube. Never attempt to tube
feed an infant kitten (or anything else) until you have been taught
how to do it right. Its not like feeding a human baby. A tech at your favorite animal hospital or cat shelter is usually quite willing to show you how to properly tube feed an infant kitten at no charge. Call ahead. Their is more on tube feeding below.

The Nest
box

Mother
cats always seek out small confined spaces in which to place their kittens.
Your nest box does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be just big
enough for the kitten(s) to turn around but not much bigger. Line it
with crumpled Kleenex tissue.

Before you place kittens in the box, examine them closely for fleas. Pick those
off with eyebrow tweezers and drop them into a jar of rubbing alcohol
or vodka. Those little pests can quickly suck kittens dry of blood.
If there were many fleas and the kittens gums are pale (anemic),
a drop of pediatric vitamins with iron per day should be helpful.

Warmth
is especially important the first 14 days of a kitten’s life because
they have not yet developed the ability to control their body temperature
(thermoregulate).

During
the first two weeks, kittens cannot shiver when they are cold. They
will rely on your heating pad for warmth. Keep the pad under one side
of the box and set it only on its lowest setting. Wrap the pad
with sufficient cloth towels so that the inside of the box stays at
90 degrees Fahrenheit but no higher. With only one side of the box heated,
the kitten(s) will be able to crawl away from the heat source if it
gets too warm. This is very important because more rescued kittens die
from overheating than from chill.

Place the
box in a draft free location. Be sure the sides of the box are at least
six inches tall so the kitten can not fall out. Make sure that area
is safe from your other pets and children. Children are fascinated with
kittens and will love them to death. Besides, many of these kittens
are a source of ringworm that spreads to children very easily. (Your
veterinarian can screed them for ringworm with a black light.)

As the kitten
matures, the temperature in the box can be gradually lowered. When the
kitten reaches the end of its first month of life it can tolerate room
air at 70-75 F.

Bottle
Feeding

Always slightly
underfeed rather than over feed the kitten. It is always safer to give
more frequent, smaller feedings than a few large ones. Over-feeding leads to colic and bloat. Large feedings also greatly increase the chance of aspiration pneumonia.

Since I
always have KMR powder in my fridge, I mix my milk formula just before
I use it. Even the powder does not keep fresh nearly as long as advertised.
A good kitten-nursing bottle holds 2-4 ounces of formula. They generally
come without holes punched in the nipple. I use a flame-heated needle
to melt two small holes in the cap. The holes should be only big enough
so that a few drops of milk drip out when the bottle is pointed down
and vigorously shaken. If too many holes are punched in the cap, the
kittens will inhale the formula rather than swallow it.

If you are
using canned product, dilute the first few feeding 50-50 with pedialyte.
If you are using the powder, mix it half-strength with boiled water
or pedialyte for the first few feeding and then gradually, over the
next 24-36 hours, bring it up to full strength. Mix it really well so
there are no lumps.

Let it cool
until it is slightly above room temperature. Feed kitten while they
are resting on their stomachs. Never feed them upright as you
would a human infant. Wet the outside of the nipple with milk formula
to give it flavor. Then, gently insert the nipple into the kitten’s
mouth using a prying motion while you apply pressure to the sides of
the bottle to release a drop or two of milk. From then on your kitten
should suck on its own. I am sure you will find plenty of videos about
it on You-tube as well.

Some experienced
kitten rearers add a bit of plain yogurt or Bene-Bac by Pet-Ag to the
Formula. If you do so, add it after the formula cools. I generally only
find it necessary when a litter of kittens is star crossed or stunted
or when conditions where they are kept can't be kept as sanitary - as
in animal shelters and group homes. But it is a good idea for any kitten.

We all have
a tendency to over feed kittens. As I said, it is much safer to give
them a little less than they desire than all they want. Over feeding
can lead to pneumonia when milk is inhaled into the lungs rather then
swallowed to the stomach and it can cause bloat and diarrhea.

If milk
bubbles out of the kittens nose it is flowing too rapidly from the bottle,
you are holding the kitten wrong, or it is too weak to suckle normally.
Most of the time, it is due to too large a hole(s) in the nipple or
over feeding. I microwave a bowl of water and set the bottle in it to
heat the formula to 99-100 degrees Fahrenheit before use. Be sure to
always check the formula's temperature by shaking a drop or two onto
your wrist. Never put the bottle directly in the microwave to heat.

Some owners
find it easier to feed newborn kittens from a one or three milliliter
syringe and switch to a bottle when the kitten is two weeks old. (of
course, the needle needs to be removed first)

During
the first week, feed the kitten every two hours. During the next three
weeks, feed them every three hours. When the kittens are four weeks
old, they can be fed every six to twelve hours depending on how much
solid food they are already eating. No two folks use exactly the same
feeding schedule and many are quite certain that their's is the very
best. What is important are the results. If you are fortunate enough
to have access to an experienced cat person, follow their advice instead
of mine. Look for one - even if you are confident right now. I can't
be there to help you with problems if they occur - but they can.

Boil nursing
bottles and syringes between every use. Kittens that did not nurse on
the mother for their first 48 hours did not receive the first milk or colostrum. After
that time window, they can not absorb it through their intestines even
if you give it to them. These kittens are more susceptible to infections
and diarrhea, so wash your hands well and beware of sour formula. That
is why it is almost always safer to leave the kittens with the mother
for at least a few days. If the kittens did not get their mom's antibodies
through colostrum, I often add antibiotic powder to their formula for
a week or so.

When I lived
in a part of the World where kitten milk replacement was unavailable,
I feed a mixture of 1 cup of evaporated cows or goat milk, one tablespoon
corn oil, three egg yolks and three drops of pediatric multivitamins.

For reasons
that are unclear, evaporated milk seem to cause less diarrhea and bloat
than fresh whole cows milk. Kittens have a limited ability to digest
the lactose or milk sugar in cow’s and goat milk. You can help
with this problem by adding lactase enzyme (Lactaid)
to the formula if it is available in your part of the World. There are
more specific instructions on that in an article of mine on raising
orphaned wild cats. You can read it here.

How Much
Should I Feed ?

Newborn
kittens during their first week need to consume about 32 cc of formula
per day. That is
based on an average kitten weighing 120 grams. Because normal kittens
range in weight at birth from 85 to 120 grams, the amount of formula
they should drink is going to vary.

That amount
should be spread out into about ten feedings, spaced about every 2 and-a-half
hours round the clock. If the kitten is weak or stressed, it is even
more important to give it more frequent feeding throughout the day and
night.

During their
second week, an average kitten consumes about 55 cc per day of formula.
You can already cut back on the number of feedings if the kitten is
steadily gaining weight.

By week
three, the kitten should be consuming about 80 cc of formula per day;
by four weeks 100 cc/day, and by 5 weeks about 125cc/day. By four weeks
, the amount of formula the kitten consumes per feeding should have
risen so that you get by with 5-7 feedings per day.

Kittens
that are hungry and need feeding will cry continuously, move their heads
from side to side and suckle on each other or on objects in the nest
box.

Burping
The Kitten

After each
feeding hold the kitten upright with its tummy against your shoulder
and pat it gently until it burps, releasing trapped air. Nursing bottles
that do not release enough milk lead to more air being trapped as the
kitten nurses. If the kitten should bloat or become colicky add a few
drops of infant anti colic drops (simethicone, Equate Infants’
Gas Relief, WalMart Stores Inc.) to the formula and experiment with
a new nipple, another feeding technique or different brand of formula.

Normal
Weight Gain

Birth weights
of kittens range from 85 to 120 grams. Their weight should double in
their first 1 to 2 weeks. Kittens average about ten grams of additional
body weight per day. Although this is a good average, they tend to grow
in spurts. Seek a veterinarian’s advice if the kitten does not
double its weight in 8 to 12 days.

Helping
The Kitten Eliminate

Normal
kitten stools are yellowish brown with a jam-like consistency. After
every feeding, gently massage the anus and urinary orifice with a cotton
ball or Kleenex moistened with warm water until they urinate and defecate.

Be very
gentle when you do this and don’t worry if no urine or stool is
produced after every feeding. By the time the kitten is three weeks
old it should be able to get by without your help.

Problems
That Can Arise

Kittens
that have been abandoned are often chilled, dehydrated and hypoglycemic
(low blood sugar). If a kitten is cold and lethargic, giving it karo
syrup is not a good idea. It needs an injection of glucose from your
favorite veterinarian.

Normal rectal
temperature for a newborn kitten is 92-99F. These little kittens can
not regulate their body temperature well. That's why they need the heating
pad or hot water bottle you provide. By their second week rectal temperature
should be 97-100F. By their fourth week normal rectal temperature should
be 100-102F (the same as adult cats).
The first thing to do is to warm them up very slowly and carefully to
ninety degrees.

If the kittens
are still too weak to nurse they may also need sterile subcutaneous
solutions, like ringers or D5W. This is best done by a veterinarian
or veterinary nurse. A newborn kitten can receive approximately three
milliliters (cc) of fluid subcutaneous. It can be repeated as soon as
the bubble of fluid under its skin has dissipated.

Watery yellowish or greenish stools are sometimes caused by feeding
too much or too quickly. If they occur, try diluting the formula 50-50
with pedialyte until the stools return to normal consistency. You can
also give the kitten 2-3 drops of kaopectate just prior to each feeding.
(for a while, not indefinitely)

Overly hard stools that are clumped and cheese-like are sometimes due
to feeding the formula too concentrated. When kittens strain to defecate
and pass overly-hard stools, increase the frequency of feeding and dilute
the formula. These impacted (bound up)
kittens also have a bloated abdomen. You can give them a few drops of
mineral oil or cat hairball paste to help them evacuate the stool and
I like to gently massage their tummies. If they still remain bound up
they may need a warm water enema. This is best done at a veterinary
hospital. Never use phosphate enemas - such as Fleet, on a cat.

Dehydration
is most common in newly acquired kittens that have not had access to
milk for 24-48 hours. Dehydrated kittens are very weak and inactive.
Their skin does not spring back when pinched but instead has a clay-like
consistency. These kittens are best treated with sterile sugar-saline
containing fluids injected under their skin.

It is a
good idea to worm your kitten with pyrantel pamoate when it is six weeks
of age (or earlier if your veterinarian suspects
intestinal parasites) . You can purchase this worming medicine
at all WalMart Stores. It is labeled for dogs but works equally well
in cats for removing roundworms and hookworms. It will not help with
coccidiosis, a common cause of diarrhea in weakened kittens. The only
treatment for coccidiosis are certain antibiotics and generous amounts
of oral fluids. A soothing salve on their inflamed rear ends will help
make them feel better. These kittens need your veterinarian's care.

If kittens
are kept isolated from other cats, their first vaccinations can be given
at 12 weeks of age. If other unvaccinated cats come in contact with
the kitten the first vaccine should be administered earlier.

If the kitten
did not receive its mothers milk during its first 48 hours of life,
it is much more susceptible to all infections and needs to be carefully
isolated from other cats and kittens until it does receive its vaccinations.
Remember, vaccinations take a week or before they become effective.

The vaccine
should immunize against feline panleukopenia (cat distemper), feline rhinotracheitis (herpes 1) and feline calicivirus.
At 12 weeks it should receive a rabies vaccination and at 12 and 18
weeks the kitten should also be vaccinated against feline
leukemia. Do not use cheap or improperly stored vaccines. The best vaccines are made by Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim/Merial, or Merck. After its first year-end boosters, it does not
need additional vaccinations for many years - despite what is written
on the box. How you deal with local rabies vaccination ordinances is
something you must decide for yourself. Read about all cat vaccinations here.

When you
take your kittens in to your veterinarian for the first time, the vet
may run a feline leukemia - feline aids (FIV) test. Do not panic if
either are positive. Often it is antibody that was in the momma cat that it is
detecting in the kitten - particularly in the case of FIV. If the kitten appears healthy
and none of your other pets will be exposed to it, have it re-tested
in 2 months to see if its titer is dropping. If the kitten is visibly ill, it probably does have the
disease and will not thrive.

Tube
Feeding

I mentioned a bit about tube feeding earlier. I tend to do a lot of tube feeding. That is because I take in orphaned animals and my assistants and I have so many to care for that we cannot spend all our time patiently coaxing one weak infant to nurse. Hopefully, you will not be in that situation. Never feed by tube when you have the ability to feed an infant patiently and frequently by mouth. However, kittens
that are too weak to nurse need to be tube fed if one is to save them.
It is difficult to explain this process in writing. As I said, the best way to
learn how to tube feed correctly is to have someone experienced in the technique
do it with you the first time.

To tube
feed, I fill a 1 or 3 cc syringe with heated formula being careful that
no air bubbles are present. Then I attach an eighteen-gauge infusion
(butterfly) set to the syringe. I cut off the needle and fill the remaining
tubing with milk. I lay the tube along side the kitten and make a mark
with an indelible pen on the tube when the tip is alongside the kittens
last rib. If the kitten is at all dehydrated, I lubricate the tube with
KY jelly.

Then I gently
open the kitten’s mouth and begin to thread the tubing over the
kitten’s tongue very slowly. This gives the kitten time to swallow
the tubing rather than have it go into the windpipe.

If you are
accidentally in the windpipe the kitten will squirm and fuss. When I
think the tube is correctly placed, with my thumb and index finger,
I carefully palpate the kitten’s neck to feel two tube-like structures.
One, in the center of the neck will be the windpipe (trachea). The other
will be the catheter tube. If I only feel one structure I remove the
tube and reinsert it again until I am certain I am in the esophagus
and not in the trachea. Then I slowly inject the contents of the syringe.
When tube feeding, feed no more than 75% of what the kitten would have
taken orally so that it does not regurgitate the formula.

Weaning
- You Are Almost There !

Begin to
offer your kitten sold foods when it is three and a half weeks old.
By four and a half weeks, the kitten should be weaned. Purchase some
cans of gourmet cat food in chicken and beef flavors and smear a bit
on the cat’s pallet. It will soon get the idea.

I do not feed
young cats fish-flavored foods. I believe it leads to latter fussy eating and a reluctance to eat anything else. Besides, there
seems to be a connection between fish flavors and later thyroid problems.
(ref) Another problem is that the fish that ends up in canned and dry cat food tends to be rancid fish that lay too long on the dock. The ones not fit for human consumption. I reserve human-grade tuna and salmon juice for critically ill cats that desperately need nutrition and will eat nothing else.

This is
the same time you should begin to offer the kitten formula in a bowl.
The earlier a kitten eats on its own the better. If you use strained
meat baby foods be sure they contain no onion powder. I do not suggest
you get your kitten hooked on human baby foods because they are way
too low in calcium and vitamins. Kittens love them, but it can cause them to develop
bowed legs and soft teeth. If you give those human baby foods, be sure there is another
adequate source of calcium and vitamin D in their diet.

Although
many kittens will eat as early as four weeks, some make take an additional
two or three weeks before they express interest in solid food. Slowly
substitute moistened kitten chow or canned cat food.
As soon as kitten chow is offered keep a dish of water available at all times for
the kitten. By the time the kitten is 10 weeks old it should be receiving
some dry kitten chow. As a lifetime diet, there are pros and cons to
dry and wet diets. (ref) Pros regarding their teeth and gums (ref) and cons regarding their kidneys (ref).